Steven and Kay Armstrong, missionaries on leave of absence from the
International Mission Board, who were preparing to return to the field, sent
this letter to their regional leader, Dr. Gordon Fort, on May 29.

Dear Gordon:

Thank you for being the first to admit to us in writing that IMB leaders have
decided that Kay and I are not going to be allowed to return to the field. Since
Avery made a decision that was final that we could not return to the field and
now you, as our regional leader, also write that we cannot be allowed to return
to active service, Kay and I request that we be issued an official termination
letter or other formal notification that our employment with the IMB is being
terminated. This is only fitting since our tenure as missionaries with the IMB
is ending as the result of decisions made by IMB leaders.

It is already public knowledge that the IMB is terminating other missionaries
for not signing the Baptist Faith and Message statements.

Dr. Rankin publicly stated that those who would not sign and chose not to
resign by May 5th would be terminated. So we were surprised and confused about
why were we not included among those missionaries terminated at the May trustee
meeting you attended. Help me understand why are we being treated differently
than any other missionaries in this regard?

We informed you over a year ago that we could not sign the BF&M statements
and asked that a decision be reached quickly concerning whether or not we would
be allowed to continue with the IMB. If we had wanted to resign, we would have
already done so. We do not want to resign and find the efforts to try to
manipulate us to do so unprofessional and hurtful. We choose to continue under
our appointment and commissioning as IMB missionaries until the day we receive
notice in writing that we have been terminated.